Love of an Angel
by Soul of a Wolf
Summary: Ash is adapting to a new lifestyle, and his new challenge is how to take care of Misty in his new form.....


Boy, it's been a little while

Boy, it's been a little while. Haven't had anything really inspiring hit me till lately, so here's my newest exploration into the written world:

**__**

Love of an Angel

Disclaimer: The usual stuff, I don't own these guys and don't plan on owning them anytime soon.

A/N: signifies Pokemon speech translation

_Italics are characters' thoughts_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Good morning, Mist, beautiful day isn't it? No, no, no, that's not it. Hmmm," Ash's walked through the woods, searching for his friends. He snapped his fingers in sudden inspiration. "Hiya, Misty, did ya miss me?" His cheerful expression fell at the thought. He dropped his arms to his sides, slowing his walk to a stop.

_What am I thinking?! _he yelled at himself. _She's not gonna hear me anyway._

_I love you, Ash. I think about you every day. Pikachu really misses you, and so do I. We promise to make you proud though._

The beautiful thought rang through his head once more. No, it wasn't a dream, it was Misty's voice. He could hear her thoughts, no matter where he was.

And it would have been killing him, had he not already been dead.

The last thing he remembered before waking up in his room in Pallet, was swimming with Misty off the coast of Cinnabar. They had decided to take a short vacation, and Ash new she'd love it there. Brock immediately went to the labs to study up on all the new pokemon that were being discovered, leaving Ash, Misty and Pikachu to have their fun on the beach.

Pikachu took it upon himself to rent a surfboard, much to the storeowners' surprise, and work on the waves. He made quite a scene and impressed more than a few female pikachus. Misty and Ash simply laughed and went off to swim on their own.

"Come on, Ash, I bet I can swim out further than you can!" Ash looked skeptical.

"Isn't that dangerous, Mist? What happens if we can't make it back?" Misty walloped him over the head with her trusty mallet, flooring him.

"I know that, dipwad, that's why I'll bring my pokemon with me. Or have you forgotten water pokemon can naturally swim?" Ash just mumbled under his breath as he stood up.

"Fine you got me, just lemme put my guys in your pouch, too, okay?" he said, pointing to the waterproof pouch-necklace she was putting around her neck. He tossed her his pokeballs and continued to rub the lump on his head. Misty giggled and took off, inviting Ash to try and catch her.

Their game took them well out into the ocean, past where the waves were forming to crash on unexpected swimmers or inexperienced surfers. The two decided to relax, treading water gently and watching the clouds roll by. Idle chitchat occupied their time, and soon even that faded as the sun starting making it's journey toward the western horizon. 

Ash had spent the last few minutes simply gazing at Misty. _She's so beautiful,_ he thought. Breathing slowly, he gathered the courage to tell her how he felt. The feelings he'd hidden from her since day one. _It's now or never._

"Mist, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," he said softly. Misty's heart skipped a beat. She loved it when he talked like that. Unintentionally turning to him in the most sensual way possible, she looked at him from under heavy-lidded eyes.

"What's that?" she answered in a low voice. Suddenly, Ash felt a sharp sting in his body. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same feeling of desire that he'd received times before when looking at her, but a physical stinging the shot all the way up his leg. He winced before slowly falling in the water.

"That I'm going to have to say it to you later, because something just bit me." Misty laughed, hiding her dampened spirits at whatever interrupted him. When she stopped giggling, she reached down and pulled up his foot, causing him to go under again. Sure enough, there was a welt right above his left ankle. She wasn't sure what had caused it, but didn't think it serious.

"That's ok, Ash. I'm starting to get tired anyway, so let's head back, ok?" Ash nodded in agreement, disappointed in himself.

Once they were about a third of the way back, Ash started slowing down. _Funny, my legs don't get tired this easily, _he thought as his legs, particularly his left leg, started feeling heavy with what he assumed was fatigue. Misty immediately noticed his slowing pace and turned to face him. He was panting, struggling to keep swimming. Suddenly, he sank underwater, surprising them both. Misty dove for him, bringing him up to help him tread for a while. She nimbly lifted his leg while still staying afloat and notice the wound was bleeding terribly now. Ash looked shocked.

"Misty, what's going on?! I can't feel my leg!" Misty gasped, suddenly realizing what had happened.

"Before you were bit, did you kick anything?" Ash looked perplexed by the question, but thought back about 5 minutes.

"Yeah, I think I did. Slimy little thing."

"It must have been a tentacool, it thought you were the enemy. I'm gonna call Starmie out, there's no way I can carry you back to shore." He stopped her as she reached in her pouch.

"Did you just feel something go by?" She froze, unsure of what he was talking about, but afraid nonetheless.

Where was it? There, ooooh, she felt it. The slightest change in current underneath her, something passing by.

"Ash," she whispered, "how long have you been bleeding?"

"I don't know, probably since you looked at it the first time." Suddenly he was pulled underwater, Misty going part way with him. He managed to fight his way back up with him arms, his leg now gone at the knee.

"SHARK!!" he screamed when he surfaced. Misty was in shock, she had no idea what to do. They had no boat, no weapons, nothing to use to get away.

Except their pokemon.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash screamed when the idea hit him. A red beam shot it's way out of Misty's pouch, releasing the bird pokemon. "Take Misty back to shore, NOW!!" Misty immediately fought, screaming at him for being so dense. He ignored her please to come with her and kept the shark busy as Pidgeotto tried to get the struggling girl onto his back. Eventually he managed, and took off, casting worried glance back toward his floundering master. Soon, the struggled stopped, and Ash simply did not surface again.

Instead, a small pool of dark red formed, with a red and white cap floating in the middle of it.

It was a painful death, but Ash didn't really notice. All he cared was Misty, his lovely Misty, was all right. He closed his eyes and let the shark ravage him as it pleased. Only he opened them again to find himself lying on his bed, in his room, in Pallet Town. He blinked again, unsure of what was going on.

"I so can't be alive," he said aloud, startling himself with his voice. Eventually, he sat up, looking around the room. Everything was just the way he left it before the vacation, in perfect order (well, for Ash anyway) in his room. He stood up, waited for his head to stop spinning, then ran to his door. He misjudged his speed, and simply waited for the impact of his body against the door. When he went right through it, and fell on the floor, it shocked him a bit. After a few more incidents like that, one being he passed right through his mother, he realized he was indeed dead. Downcast, he bade his mother farewell, who apparently hadn't yet heard of her son's death, and walked out.

He headed south, back toward Cinnabar. _If mom doesn't know yet, Misty's sure to come this way to tell her._ He wandered through the woods, feeling a little bit happier. He enjoyed the fact that he didn't have to avoid trees during his thinking. It actually left him with a kind of tingling sensation, and he laughed every time he left a tree. He passed by a pidgey, who seemed to be looking right at him. _Coincidence,_ he figured. Until a spearow came diving right at him. Instinctively he jumped back, but was still in the angry bird's path. Suddenly he had an extra boost, which scooted him back farther as the bird clumsily crashed into the forest floor. He looked around him, noticing the slew of white feathers that seemed to appear from no where. When he landed, he could see them out of the corner of his eyes. Turning to try and see them better, he made the image of a dog chasing after its tail, which sent the life of the forest cackling with glee. Finally, accidentally, he swung one wing into his face. He then realized he had control of the beautiful wings. With an experimentally flap, he lifted himself up off the ground. Jumping up excitedly, he pumped his new appendages more and launched himself into the air.

"_I'm an angel!_" he cried for the entire forest to hear.

He had landed soon, when new muscles started protesting to such activity. He gently drifted back to the forest floor, surprising himself with his grace. Gently extending his wings to their full span, he stretched himself out, relaxing.

"Boy, wait till Misty sees me now!" It was then that he first heard her voice.

_God, Ash, why did you have to do that?_ He spun around, shocked, looking for the source of the voice. _Why did you have to let me live?! I can't live without you. _"But Misty, I'm right here," he called. He ran toward where he thought the voice was coming from. _Well damn you, Ash, that's what I say. Damn you, you left me here alone! Now you're gone,_ the voice was cut off by a sob, causing Ash to run faster. _Why did you leave me Ash? I didn't even get the chance to tell you I love you._ He stopped dead in his tracks, and if not for his wings, his momentum would have carried him straight to the forest floor.

"Mi-, Misty? You love me?" He hung his head, his wings drooping too. "I love you, too. But now you'll never know." He walked on solemnly.

Which brought him to where he was now. Somewhere along the way, he had convinced himself to watch over her if nothing else. He had found out that somehow, the pokemon were able to see him. And the ones that tried to attack him were quite surprised when they flew, jumped or shot right through them. Every now and then, he would exercise his wings for a while, reveling in the feel of soaring over the tree tops. For the past three days, he heard Misty's thoughts run through his ears. They saddened him for a while, but also made him more determined to watch over her, make sure she lived happily.

He was especially happy today, though. He knew at the end of the day, he would reach the coast south of Pallet, the route toward Cinnabar. And hopefully if Misty, Brock and Pikachu had left the same day of his death, they'd meet at the same time. With this thought in mind, he flew a little faster, wings pumping with a little more vigor, eyes shining a little brighter.

When the outline of the coast hit his eyes, he shot himself up higher, hoping he could somehow spot him from his bird's eye vantage.

When he saw their outline riding in upon Lapras, he shot out to meet them.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brock was getting worried. He knew Misty's was taking Ash's death hard, but he never expected her to be this bad. She hadn't eaten since they left Cinnabar, even Pikachu's shocks stopped working on her. She absorbed them as easily as Ash always had. He sighed at the thought.

It was a total freak accident. Misty had come in, crying hysterically about a shark. Poor Pidgeotto was exhausted. He had struggled to keep her frantic form on his back instead of in the water for more shark food. Once she was calm enough to relay the story to Brock though, he nearly broke down into hysterics himself.

The whole day was dedicated to searching for Ash's body, but when nothing more than his cap was found, Brock made the decision that it was time to go and tell Mrs. Ketchum the news.

Now, nearly to the shoreline, Misty still hadn't said a word. Nothing the group did could bring her out of her depression, and he knew that if she went on like this much longer, she'd pass on herself.

Pikachu sat on Lapras' head, gazing over the ocean forlornly. He missed his master, his friend, deeply. What hurt him most was seeing the girl his master had loved so dearly slip away from life.

He knew Ash would want him to try and cheer Misty up, but nothing they did worked. Eventually he gave up, starting to sink into the same depression she was in.

"Lapras?" Pikachu looked up as Lapras spoke.

"Pi, pika kachu pi?" What? What's wrong La?

"Laaapras, la lapras?" Look, what do you see? Pikachu strained his little black eyes. The sun reflecting off the water made it a little hard, but he managed. He jumped back in shock at what he saw.

"Kachu! Pika pika, pichu pi pi!" A bird! No, it's too big, but something's flying toward us! They both watched intently as the shape got closer. Lapras' eyes, trained to see things under and through the water with great precision, pierced the glare of the sun off the water and saw who it was. He bucked backwards, nearly throwing his cargo off.

"LAAAAAAAPRASS!" AAAAAAAAAASH!

"Pika?! Pika kachu kapi pi!? What?! Are you trying to kill us!?

"La, la lapras, lapras!" No, look Pikachu, it's Ash! Pikachu stared at the approaching form, gasping when he realized Lapras was telling the truth. He ignored the fact that Ash had wings for some reason, and when his form was close enough, jumped off Lapras' head toward him.

"Pikachu, don't!" Ash warned. Pikachu flew right through him, much to his surprise, and landed with a loud splash in the water.

"Pikachu, what on earth has gotten into you?!" Misty finally said. Brock froze, almost forgetting she did indeed have the ability to speak. He gazed out over the water, trying to see what he was getting at.

"I think I can see the shoreline, Misty. I bet he's just excited that we're close to land."

"He probably thinks Ash is at home waiting," she said as she picked him out of the water. Pikachu looked at her in shock, then glanced at Ash, who was standing comfortably beside her, staring.

"Pika pi! Pikapi, kachu chupi pika?" At home! Ash, can't she see you? He shook his head.

"No, Pikachu, I'm an angel. Only pokemon can see me. You've been taking good care of her, haven't you?" Pikachu hung his head.

"Pika, pikapi, kachu kapi pi pichu chuka." I've tried, Ash, but she just won't come out of it.

"Laaaa, lapras, la, lapras." She's moped the past three days. Ash smirked and patted Lapras on the head, which surprisingly didn't pass through. Ash looked shocked, then reached down to rub Pikachu's head. He could feel Pikachu's fur beneath and between his fingers. He laughed as Pikachu looked ready to jump at him again.

"Let's not try it yet, Pikachu. Misty and Brock wouldn't react well if you started floating in midair."

"Brock, Pikachu is acting really strange here. He's talking to himself," Misty commented, distressed. Brock just shrugged. They were about twenty minutes out from land, and figured a good night's rest would make them all feel a little better. Ash looked down at Pikachu.

"Don't talk to me, for now, ok little buddy? They might think you're crazy." Pikachu nodded his head as Ash sat next to Misty. He gently placed his arm behind her, careful not to actually touch her and startle her. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, "I'll always be here for you, Misty," then he kissed her lightly on the cheek. Her hand shot up, feeling the spot where he kissed her. She shook her head lightly. "I must really be going crazy." Ash simply chuckled and enjoyed the view.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ash sat up on a tree branch as the others set up camp. He immediately noticed the lack of life in their actions. Except Pikachu, of course, who cast his friend a look every now and then. Ash's heart broke for Misty though. He desperately wished his love could see him, he was dying (figuratively speaking) to hold her and comfort her. She seemed so lost, so lifeless. He never knew he meant that much to her. _If I'd known…_

_Oh Ash, I miss you so much. I wish you were here. Even Pikachu's managing to get along, but I just can't keep going without you._ A tear made its way down her cheek, wrenching his soul. He leaped down and gently kissed it away. Her hand reached up again, and she managed a tiny hint of a smile. _Sometimes, though, it's like you're right here._ He smiled.

"Always, Mist. Always."

Brock fixed dinner, which was eaten silently. Pikachu had a very hard time keeping from saying anything to Ash, but just knowing he was there, beside him, made him feel a whole lot better. He snuggled up to him, trying not to seem too obvious to the others. Ash ruffled his ear every now and then, sending a thrill of happiness through both of them. Soon it came time for them to sleep. Ash tucked Pikachu into his little poke-sleeping bag, sending him off into a sweet dreamland that he hadn't visited in a few days. Brock fell asleep quickly, leaving Misty sitting on a rock, staring into the flames. He noticed her mouth moving slowly, and he floated over to sit next to her. He passed through the flames, ignoring sensation and lifting his wings to keep them un-singed, though they seemed to take care of themselves. Misty's gasp stopped him though, as suddenly the looked up at him.

Right at him.

Right into his eyes.

Misty couldn't believe it. It had to be a trick of the smoke, she could see Ash's outline in the fire. Then, suddenly, she could see his face. She slowly stood up, hoping it wasn't a dream. He suddenly reached out for her, smiling. Tentatively, she reached for his hand. When she actually felt it, she yelped and jumped back. Ash laughed, then mentally called out to her, hoping it would work.

_Yes, I'm really right here, Mist._ Misty about fainted. Her heart stopped beating for a moment. Did she really just hear his voice? But his mouth didn't move, so he couldn't have…

_Ash? Oh God, Ash, I wish it were really you, _she sobbed. Ash gripped her hand firmly, shocking her.

_It is, Misty, _he said/thought, spreading his wings for emphasis. _I'm just not alive anymore._ Misty stared in awe, watching the beauty of his wings glow in the flames. She wanted to run up and squeeze the life out of him, but some inborn sense kept her from throwing herself in the flames.

_Ash? Ash, are you serious? Are you really here with me, right now? _He smiled, and started to walk toward her. She panicked as his form disappeared, no longer outlined by particles in the smoke. Her breath caught when strong arms wrapped around her, holding her to an invisible, firm body.

"Ash?" she whispered. Her reply was a nod felt on her shoulder. She let the sobs wrack her body once more, holding Ash's unseen form to her.

_I'm always here for you, Misty,_ he thought toward her as her body stopped shaking. She nodded in response, and he lifted her up into his arms, carrying her toward her sleeping bag. She started to panic again as he moved away from her.

"Ash? Ash, please, don't leave me again! Ash!?" He placed a finger on her lips, calming her down as he tucked her in.

_I'll be right here, beside you, always, Misty. You'll never be alone again._ He situated himself beside her, holding her to him through the sleeping bag. Her breathing slowed, and for the first time in three days, she slept soundly and happily.

_I love you, Ash._ The response sent her off into a happy dream.

_I love you, too, Misty._

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Misty reluctantly opened her eyes to the bright sunlight. When her eyes adjusted, she slowly sat up, unzipping her bag. Brock was already up, cooking breakfast.

"You must being feeling better, Misty, I haven't seen you sleep so peacefully in a few days." Misty smiled dreamily.

"I had a very nice dream," she whispered. Looking over at Pikachu, she knew Ash was still there, simply because Pikachu was "talking to himself" again. Brock caught her glance and followed it, noticing Pikachu's in depth conversation. He shook his head sadly.

"I think you've both gone crazy, but if you're happy, I'm not complaining." Misty simply giggled as two arms wrapped around her waist, a strong chest pressed itself against her back.

_Sleep well, Mist?_

Perfectly, my little angel. He brought the tip of one wing up to tease her. Her giggling caused Brock to glance, and also convinced him that she had indeed gone mad from the stress. Pikachu noticed Brock's worried glance, then looked at Ash and Misty. He fell over laughing, scaring Brock even more. Brock, convinced he was the only sane one in the group, simply continued with breakfast.

Once the meal was over, the group happily began their journey. Ash glided above them, watching out for any danger in the road. It was hard to keep an eye out for danger, though, when all he could do was keep his eyes on Misty.

He simply couldn't stop looking at her. Her sudden transformation from the lost, heartbroken, shattered soul she was earlier yesterday, to the vibrant, beautiful young woman she was now. He felt his heart flutter at the thought that he was able to bring about this change in her. Then the realization hit him hard that despite their love had been declared, it would never be lived. Ash frowned, lost in thought. Even though Misty knew how he felt now, he couldn't expect her to spend her life loving a person that wasn't even there. He would never leave her side, true, but how could a relationship between a living person and an angel be?

A slight movement out of the corner of his eye brought his train of thought to a halt. He trained his eyes to the movement ahead until it became clear.

Sure enough, Team Rocket was digging yet another hole in the middle of the road. With a chuckle he called down to Pikachu.

"Pika?" What?

"Look out ahead, Team Rocket's up to their usual pathetic tricks. Get some shock power worked up, they don't look too enthused." That, in fact was what worried him. There was no pride in their actions, no insane glee in their movements. They were quiet, almost sad. Even Meowth's mouth was shut. Ash's brow furrowed at the site and an uneasy feeling settles itself in his stomach. "On second thought, get ready Pikachu. Something's not right here." Pikachu merely nodded before Ash flapped himself ahead of them.

When he was directly above the troublesome trio, he noticed they weren't just acting tired, they were extremely haggard. That physical pride they had always boasted about was gone as they barley managed to drag themselves along in their work.

"Hurry up, you punks, the twerps are coming!" Meowth growled as James mumbled under his breath.

"Who are they calling punks?" Suddenly, a fury of black feathers shot out of the treeline and knocked James down. Ash thought at first that it was a new pokemon, but then noticed it was a human. A human with black wings.

"It's another angel," he breathed before being tackled from above by another black winged man. They went crashing into the trees, alerting the crowd below.

The black winged angel looked up, searching the skies for intrusion. He knew his former master wouldn't be happy about why he was doing what he was, but he had no choice. It was a lame excuse, but his at the time: the devil made him do it. His heart broke again, as it had so many times in the past few days.

He could still live the incident that had happened merely three days ago. Relishing his new found power in archangelhood, Damien flew freely around the world, watching over his new territory. His eyes were caught by a beautiful young girl, swimming in the ocean of the coast of a small island. Her fiery red hair had immediately attracted him to her, though he knew lusting after a young girl, any mortal at all, was strictly forbidden.

_You are a young man, archangel. You're life was unjustly taken from you. Why should that keep you from enjoying what you never had?_ The soothing voice rang through his ears, convincing him more and more that this was right. He started to float down closer, ready to make himself visible. Then the young boy became visible, his thought audible.

_She's so beautiful,_ the voice praised. Damien grew angry. _It's now or never,_ the voice said again. Damien knew he wouldn't let a mere mortal boy get in his way. He dove into the water, prodding a small jellyfish like creature toward the boy's leg. When the sting was taken care of, he laughed heartily and called for a shark. The hungry creature came quickly, catching the boy offguard. Damien watched as the floundering boy nobly sent the girl off to safety, fighting the shark off the best he could. With an eerie laugh, Damien flew back up toward the heavens, only to be struck down by an invisible force. He felt himself thrown back into the water, being shoved further and further down toward the ocean floor. When he had finally hit some surface with his back, the water was dark. The sun ray's had hit their limit, and to top it off, the "ocean smoker's" were adding their cloudy substance, leaving Damien being strangled in a frightening void. His fear took form as two glowing eyes bored into his. Eyes that were on fire, burning into his otherworldly soul. Damien felt a sharp stinging on his throat and knew it was the sword of an archangel. After all, the only harm that can be done to an angel of any kind is by another angel, or God himself.

"You've failed, Damien," the deep throaty voice rang out through the water. "You've given in to the demon you swore to defend against. Now you're soul is damned to the service of hell!" Damien fought to speak. Such an unspeakable curse had rendered him speechless, but some instinct forced him to fight.

"Michael, you've got it all wrong! What did I do that was against our holy code?" He was answered by a hit across the face with the hilt of the sword.

"Ask your new lord, Damien. You are now a fallen archangel, and you will never be allowed in the gates of heaven again." With that the pressure was relieved and the eyes disappeared. Damien was still afraid, though. He could feel the laughter rippling the water around him, could hear the claws scratching through to earth to reach him.

The devil was coming for him.

Now, he was doing the only thing he could think of to do. Get revenge on the young girl for tempting him so. Part of him, though, a part he ignored, hoped that in death, the young girl could be reunited with her true love. Such a noble cause was only thought of by the former warrior of God in him, though, and he easily shoved the reasoning down to the pit of his belly. The fact it was there, though, still upset Lucifer, his new lord and master. Damien had to prove he was worthy of the ranks of hell, and this was his way of doing it.

"If you ever speak back to me again, you insolent little fool, you'll find yourself in a world of hurt. Now get back to work, all of you!" Damien smiled. Humans. Such entertaining little pawns.

Ash sat back, the hand still clapped over his mouth. Another angel was staring at him, searching his soul through his eyes. Ash could feel it. When the man smiled, seemingly appeased, Ash had to fight now to scream when the hand was lifted from his mouth.

"You are a noble young boy, Ash. You are most fit to be an angel." Before Ash could ask, the man extended his hand for a shake. "My name is Michael. I am the leader of the archangels. I'm here to protect you from Damien." Ash was confused. He looked through to the man called Damien, then looked back at Michael.

"Is he an archangel, too?" Michael's face fell.

"A fallen archangel, yes. He is the reason you died. Because of his actions, he was banished from heaven, and now he works to extract revenge upon the reason of his banishment: Misty. It was because he lusted after her, that he felt you needed to be terminated. You were already lost before I could do anything to stop him, but you were immediately accepted as an angel of God. It was simply a matter of finding you before Damien found Misty. Now everything can hopefully be made right." Michael searched Ash's eyes for any sign of anger, but was surprised to find only sorrow. Ash's eyes wandered over to Damien.

"Poor guy. I'm sorry things went so badly for him. It wasn't his fault at all, was it?" Michael was shocked, and to say the least, humbled by the young boy. Such a pureness in soul was rare, and this new angel was a prime example. "How did he die?" Michael sighed, preparing to respond.

"It was completely a freak accident. And I don't mean one in a million, I mean it was a freaky accident caused by a maniac. Damien had a bad homelife, his father was a drunk and constantly abused him and his mother. His little died from the abuse, and the promise that he would kill another one of them was enough to keep their mouths shut. Damien grew up hating his father, but loved his mother very much. By the time he had turned sixteen, he had weight trained and taken a self-defense course, but he never let on. When his father came to beat him, he simply took it, using it as fuel to keep him going in his training so he could take care of his mother. Four months after his sixteenth birthday, he went to the police station after school and reported the situation. They said they would have units following home, and that they would need him to try and bring his father out of the house. Damien was ready without a doubt. He walked into the house and called to his father, who had just finished beating his mother. When the man came out of the bed room, he screamed at Damien for 'interrupting his discussion' with his mother and threw a punch at him. Damien blocked it easily, shocking his father. His mother had managed to make her way, bloody and bruised, out of the bedroom and watched her son stand up for himself. 'Let's go outside,' he told his father. The man started to follow, amazed by this sudden strength in his house. Once he saw the police though, he went berserk and ran back into the house. Damien followed and tackled him before he could attack his mother. The man turned to strike Damien, but Damien's mother dove at him, knocking him off. Damien was scared for his mother and pulled her out of the way. By then, the man was unstoppable. A rabid animal with only death on his mind. All of Damien's training couldn't even begin to help him as the man mutilated that boy, ripping hair off of his head, raking at him with his nails. It was one of the most gruesome, disgusting deaths imaginable. The police had no choice and ended up killing the man. Nothing could be done to save Damien, so his soul immediately left from the scene to heaven. He was granted admission as an angel, even though he still held a spark of hate for his father in him. After not even a week of adapting to his angelhood, he came to me, requesting training to become an archangel. I thought about it, and with God's approval, his training began. He was very determined, and accomplished his goal with little trouble. We never knew Lucifer had been urging him on the entire time. He hadn't been a full archangel for more than a day before you came along. That leads us to where we are now."

Ash sat in shock. He felt an overwhelming pity for the boy, barely older than him. He had never had his own father, and that was painful enough. But to have a father that treated you like that…he shuddered at the thought. His eyes burned with developing tears, but he held them back. He still had no idea where he fit in all of this.

"So what is now? What are you here for?" Michael's brow furrowed, a slight frown played on his lips.

"Since Damien is here, Misty is in great danger. She needs to be protected, but neither she, nor Brock, nor any of the pokemon, can hope to beat him. Only an angel can inflict damage upon another angel." Ash rose with pride.

"Then I'll fight him." Michael chuckled.

"You're merely an angel, Ash. You would have no chance against an archangel, much less a fallen one, least of all one such as Damien." Anger began to brew in Ash's blood.

"Then you fight him! You're an archangel, you take care of him!"

"I cannot. Misty is not my charge, she is yours. Or didn't you realize you are her guardian angel?" he responded to Ash's look of shock. Anger quickly returned.

"You're telling me I'm supposed to protect her, but I have no chance of winning against Damien?! What is with you crazy people!? Will you please make sense for a moment?!" Michael quietly laughed.

"You have to prove yourself worthy of becoming an archangel, then God will bestow that power upon you. Raphael, Gabriel and I are examples of that. God chose us to be his Archangel leaders, and granted us our powers. This is what you must do." Ash looked excited.

"How do I do it? How do I do it?!"

"Unfortunately, I do not know the answer to that. This is what you must figure out on your own," he said as he spread his wings, preparing to take off.

"Wait! You're leaving me?" Michael nodded.

"The rest is up to you. Believe, Ash. The power of God is with you." Michael disappeared, flying back up to heaven. Ash watched in awe, and was brought back to life with an earsplitting chorus of screams. He knew he didn't have much time.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pikachu had used just enough energy to incapacitate Team Rocket, because he could sense something else, some other danger nearby. He hadn't seen Ash yet, which also worried him. He had lost his friend once, to lose him twice would simply be unbearable.

Team Rocket lay moaning and twitching in their own pit, much to the shame of Damien, who decided then to make his appearance.

"What is with you two?! You can't even put up with a yellow fuzzbal!? How pathetic is that?!" With that, he sent them blasting off again, much to their liking. Brock, Misty and Pikachu stared in shock. Well, Pikachu was more insulted than shocked, so he immediately charged after this new intruder. And was promptly smacked into the nearest tree on the other side of the path. Damien laughed.

"Don't bother me, you little pest. You don't know who you're dealing with." He turned to look at Misty, catching her in a glare of hatred, tinted with a slight lust that had never died. Misty was frozen, her heart beating in her throat. As Damien started approaching her, she barely registered Brock trying to stop him.

"That's my best friend's girl, buddy, you better back off!" he screamed as he ran to punch him. Damien barely twitched to avoid the punch, then sent Brock flying with a simply smack. He continued his approach toward Misty.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Misty. I am Damien, fall archangel of hell, all because of YOU and your pesky little boyfriend."

"W-w-what do y-y-y-ou me-e-ean," she stammered, slowly stepping backwards. Damien smiled evilly.

"Remember that little accident a few days ago? The lovely little shark attack? That was all my doing." Misty's fear was overtaken by anger, and an unbidden strength that she never knew she had. She rushed at Damien, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground.

"You bastard!" she screamed, instinctively pummeling his face as she sat on his chest. "You killed Ash! You took him away from me!" Damien's lust was gone, and his rage followed in great amounts.

"Why you lousy little bitch!" He reached back to draw his sword, ready to take her head off. As he swung, though, Misty's body was lifted up off the ground by an invisible force. She was lifted up into the trees and gently set down on one of the larger branches.

"Ash?" she called, still feeling his arms wrapped around her.

_Yes, I'm right here, Misty. I told you I'd never leave you. Now I've got some trash to take care of, so stay here,_ he commanded as he slowly let go of her. Damien was staring right at him, seeing him clear as day.

"You! You're an angel?!" Ash merely nodded and floated down to the ground. Damien laughed at him, despite his shock. "You're merely an angel, and you expect to fight me? Don't you realize I'm the one that killed you? I'm the force that took your life out from under you!" Ash shook his head gently.

"We don't have to fight, Damien," he said softly.

"What makes you think that? Because of you, I was cast out of heaven!" Ash shook his head again.

"No, Damien, you cast yourself out. Because of your hatred, you let Lucifer overpower you, and you killed me. It was all your fault, Damien. You gave up what you had." Ash didn't completely believe what he was saying, he wished that Damien could have a second chance because he was under Lucifer's influence. But he knew what he had to do. Damien was completely enraged now.

"I had power! Now I have even more power, simply because I gave up that cushy little cloud factory! I don't need God! He betrayed me in the first place!"

"Your father made his own decision, Damien, just like you made yours."

"NO! Enough talk, I will kill you once and for all!" With that, Damien charged recklessly at Ash, sword drawn for a charge. Ash bent down, extending his wings and flapping them once to lift him into the air. Damien's strike missed completely, the momentum of the charge carrying him to the ground. He looked up at Ash and extended his hand, releasing a fireball from his palm. Ash tucked one wing in instinctively, rolling quickly to the left. As a reflex, he mimicked the motion, releasing an energy ball of bright light straight into Damien's chest. The blow knocked the wind out of him, but did nothing more. Damien laughed.

"Do you see now, Ash? You're power pales in comparison to mine! How could you ever hope to defeat me." Ash smiled dangerously.

"I have God on my side." Damien screamed. He hated being mocked. Looking up, he noticed that with a few quick wingstrokes, he could take care of Misty in one blow. Laughing hysterically, he leapt, sword thrust upward. Ash pumped his wings furiously to catch up, not noticing Brock and Pikachu buying him some extra time. They had attached themselves to Damien's legs, weighing him down enough for Ash to reach Misty before he did. Still, the strain was incredible and Ash nearly passed out from the exertion. Misty stood up on the branch, not sure what was going on other than she was being attacked.

The next few moments were in slow motion for all of them. Misty felt an incredible jolt in her stomach as her legs were taken out from under her. She was winded and blacked out for a moment, only aware of Ash's scream of pain right next to her. As Ash collided with Misty, Damien's blade knicked her leg and continued on to impale itself through Ash's right shoulder. Ash executed one stroke of his right wing to roll off of the blade, for he was carrying it with him in his speed, and had it hit the branch while completely through his shoulder, it would have sliced off a huge chunk of his side. With that stroke, and the added weight on Damien's legs, he managed to pull off of the sword as it hit the branch, leaving him with a nasty slash from the middle if his right collarbone down to his hip. The pain blinded him as he screamed, hurtling to the ground. He pulled Misty closer to him, wrapping both wings around her in an attempt to protect her. Branches scratched at him until he hit the ground, rolling around bumpily with Misty screaming his name. When they finally stopped, he felt bruised, battered and bloody all over. He didn't feel completely exhausted though, as he thought he would. When he unfolded his wings to check on Misty, he noticed the feathers were completely unruffled, not to mention a deep midnight black. He stood to see that there were no other cuts on him, other than the stab wound and slash on his right side, which were bad enough. Misty stared in awe, knowing there shouldn't have been any way his wings could've stayed whole through that rough ride. Yet there they were, completely intact in a shining ebony greatness. Of course, she still had to adjust to the fact she could see him at all. With his advancement into archangelhood, she just remembered feeling his arms and wings around her, and then suddenly seeing them. She was happy, overjoyed, but still extremely confused. When his amazement wore off, though, his screamed at the agony in his right shoulder. Blood still drained steadily out of the wound, flowing a deep, dark maroon. Misty screamed his name, standing to examine the wound. Forgetting modesty, she reached for the sword she just noticed on his back and quickly took off her shirt. Ash stood in shock. A happy shock, but shock nonetheless, as a bra-clad Misty cut her shirt at one seam. When she was done, she jumped back up and wrapped the cloth tightly around his shoulder, tying it in a secure knot. 

"You can see me?" he said through clenched teeth as she finished the makeshift bandage.

"What do you think, dummy?" They both smiled, and Ash leaned forward to kiss her.

Their kiss was cut short, however, once Damien howled at Ash's transformation. Pikachu, peeling himself off of another tree, smiled, happy to see his master, his best friend in one piece. Brock, painfully lifting his head off the ground, passed out with the image of his awfully majestic looking friend kissing Misty for the first time.

"NO!!!! You're an archangel!!! How can this be?!" He swiped the splinters off of his sword and charged at them again. Ash pushed Misty behind him with his left hand, then brought her arms around his neck.

"Much as I'd like to enjoy the view, Mist, let's save that for later. Hold on!" Misty gripped him tightly, trying not to choke him, as he pumped his wings to lift them off the ground. Damien fell to the ground as his attack missed again. Ash spun around, sword drawn in his left hand.

"Go back to hell, Damien!" With the fierce battlecry, he felt a strange, warm energy flow through him. Misty was strangely relaxed as the energy flowed into her, too, feeling at peace with everything, despite she was plummeting to the ground once more. When Ash landed, the sword pushed itself through Damien's body, transferring the warm, white energy into him. Damien screamed in agony, and his body started glowing a bright, blinding white. As the scream faded, his body burst into tiny white particles, spreading themselves throughout the forest, and eventually fading into nothingness.

Misty slowly let herself back onto the ground, amazed at what just happened. For that brief moment, she had felt completely one with Ash. She could feel what he felt, hear what he was hearing, taste the victory on her tongue as he did. The heavenly energy had bonded them closer than she ever could have hoped. For now, she was drained, as was Ash. He fell to the ground, dropping the sword so he could support himself on his already tired left hand. Misty crawled her way over to him, holding his head to her chest. Ash wrapped his wings around her, simply enjoying the feel of her being so close. Pikachu slowly made his way over and joined in the group hug. They all cried tears of joy as the shock of what happened started to wear off. Poor Brock was still unconscious, so they figured it would be best to take him to the hospital. As Ash stood, he helped Misty stand. She winced and stumbled as she took her first step though, just now noticing the pain of the cut she received in the tree. Ash offered to help her, but when she poked at his right shoulder, he consented with a painful cry that she could take care of herself. Before walking back to Brock, she stopped him. Ash was confused as Misty turned him toward her, tears still forming in her eyes.

"Ash, I thought I'd never see you again. I never had the chance to tell you I loved you, I still love you!" Ash smiled weakly.

"I know, Misty, I heard your thoughts. I felt so bad for leaving you, but even after I sent you off on Pidgeotto, I vowed never to leave your side. I heard you tell me you loved me every day, and whether you heard or not, I would always tell you I love you, too. I will always love you," he said as he leaned down to kiss her, letting her soak up all of his emotions. Misty happily returned the kiss, knowing this would probably be the only chance she got to kiss him. Sure enough, as he slowly pulled away, another form floated down beside him.

"You did well, Ash," Michael said, "but it's time for you to go. We have to take care of that shoulder." Ash looked heartbroken. Misty had only been seeing him for a few minutes, and he already had to go. He looked back at her, tears forming in both of their eyes. Michael, glanced at both of them before clearing his throat and walking off a little ways.

"I'll always be watching over you, Misty. I will never, ever leave your side." Misty hushed him, placing a finger on his lips, which he kissed gently.

"I know, Ash. Just make sure you wait for me, ok?" she managed in a tear choked voice. "I'll think of you every day, Ash Ketchum. I will always love you." Without responding, Ash kissed her one last time before walking back toward Michael. He picked up Pikachu for a brief moment, hugging him.

"Pika, pikapi, chupi pika." Goodbye, Ash, I'll miss you.

"I'll miss you, too, little buddy. Take care of her for me, okay?" Pikachu nodded and Ash continued without another word. He glanced over his shoulder at Misty though.

_I'll always love you, Misty._

And I, you, my angel, Misty thought back. They both smiled as Michael helped Ash clumsily flap his way up to the sky.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Brock woke up, beaten and bruised, in the hospital in Pallet Town. Misty stood over him, and Pikachu was standing on the edge of the bed by his arm.

"Misty…dear God, what happened? Last thing I remember was hanging on to some flying guy's legs, then seeing you kiss Ash, but it wasn't Ash, it was a flying Ash, with black wings." Misty and Pikachu shared a knowing laugh, confusing Brock even more.

"I think that blow to your head really did a number on you, Brock. Ash with wings? What are you thinking?" Brock was totally lost.

"Ok, but Ash is….Ash is dead, right?" Misty nodded.

"Yes, Brock, Ash is gone. But he'll always be around," she added as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and a light kiss on her cheek. Pikachu called quietly, and was answered with rub on the head. "You just get some more rest, Brock-o. You need it." Brock nodded wearily and fell asleep once more. Angel Ash or not, he knew that they'd had a rough day and he deserved the rest.

~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~-_-~*~ 

Ok, so whaddya think? It was kind of a shot in the dark, but I'm hoping it was at least decent. Please review, all constructive comments are greatly appreciated!

/\ /\

^ ^

*

Lone Wolf 


End file.
